I Romanticize Everything
by Tattooed on My Mind
Summary: Hikaru Yoshimoto is the team flirt. No one denies it, everyone accepts it. One shot series, pairing changes each chapter. Final Chapter: Ishimaru x Hikaru. He hates her, she hates him more. He loves her, she loves him more. Just one big  competition.
1. Seishiro

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: Because Adobe Premiere is being dumb and crashing all the time, I'm sucking hardcore at drawing, and I can't focus on JP right now, I decided to deliver a new birthday present to the Hikaru to my Koharu, my dear friend Lauren (aka knightskye). Pretty much, I'm writing a bunch of one shots of Hikaru pairings, preferably from the other's perspective, and putting them here. That's not to say all of my Hikaru oneshots are here. Just the ones that are about one page long._

_Pairs are in order of preference, least favorite to favorite. I personally don't like the idea of Seishiro and Hikaru being together, never have, never will, they're a dumb pair, but you can't have this series without it, so my opinion doesn't matter. Besides, my current relationship started on similar grounds, so I had some form of base/inspiration._

_Hope you read/review/enjoy!  
_

**

* * *

**

**I Romanticize Everything******

**1. Seishiro**

I won't lie – Hikaru scares the living daylights out of me.

Maybe it's because I've never dated. Maybe it's because the only girls I've ever been around before Hikaru are Hayakawa and my mother. Whatever the reason may be, I am petrified of my own girlfriend. Well, she's not really my girlfriend yet, we haven't declared it yet, but we've gone on a few dates, kissed a few times, so I guess we're courting. I have no idea. I've never been in this situation before. It's scary.

Regardless, the point is that I'm not used to Hikaru's spunk, her spontaneity, her overt sexuality. Our first kiss caught me by surprise. Our second kiss had me on the floor again. Every time we touch, it's too close for comfort. Her experience in relationships shows so much in everything she does, the way she smiles, the way she walks, the way she holds herself when she's with me. It is such a drastic change than anything I'm used to.

One of our dates ended in shambles because of this. We went to the park one day after the preliminaries were over. We sat on the hill to watch the sunset, her head on my chest, my arm around her shoulder. In a matter of minutes, I'm pinned to the tree, suffocated by a waxy film on top of soft lips. I try to hold her closer to me, scared I'm doing it wrong. But when her hands make quick progress of loosening every button on my school shirt, the hands that were once holding her close pushed her away. As plea led to argument, I knew things weren't working between the two of us as I told her I needed a break. She walked away in a huff, calling me a coward and a wuss as she left me in the dust.

Maybe I was too harsh, but it was all too much. Maybe it's my inexperience. Maybe it's because I know Hayakawa wouldn't come onto me as quickly and forcefully as Hikaru did. But Hayakawa and Hikaru are two entirely different people. I should have known better.

I felt awful about how I hurt Hikaru. She was right, I am a coward.

To make it up, we sit on the same hill, watching a different sunset. Instead of the previous pose, we sit about six inches apart. The sky turns orange as my hand makes its way to hers, but she pushes away. I apologize for before, genuine as always. After a long plea and a request to declare our relationship, she turns to me with worry in her sapphire eyes.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" she asks, uncharacteristically. "You know I'm gonna scare you."

I won't lie – Hikaru scares the living daylights out of me. The way she talks, the way she walks, the way she smiles, the way she teases. Everything she does is a new experience, everything she does is intimidating. I want to think that dating Hayakawa would make this situation better, but only Hikaru can prepare me for the hurricane Hikaru will bring.

I take her hand in mine again, pulling it slowly toward me. I get her signature smirk, and, before I know it, I'm pinned to the tree again with hot lips crashing down onto mine.

Well, you gotta face your fears someday in life.


	2. Yoko

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: Yeah, this took too long to write because the pairing is entirely made up of crack. Hence why it's second least favorite of the seven. I was thinking about Hiroki/Hikaru, but to be honest, I can only see hatred within the two of them soooo no. I don't play that game. And there's really nothing to back up Izumi/Hikaru with except their hair, which is a lame one at that. So, Hikaru/Yoko is next. I don't ship them because Yoko is only shippable with Seira but eh. I drew the cover with seven hearts around Hikaru so I needed a seventh pair._

_Uhh Yoko is in as much character as I can give her. She sounds really narcisistic because well...uhh...it's Yoko. Even after she stops modeling, she's always gonna be the self centered one of the group. Maybe she's a bit over the top, but can you really expect any less?  
_

_For as much as this chapter is worth, hope you read/review/enjoy!  
_

**

* * *

**

**I Romanticize Everything**

**2. Yoko  
**

I know I'm the prettiest girl on the team. I know damn well I am. You can compare me to every other girl on the team, and I have the silkiest hair, the prettiest eyes, the better body, the smoother skin, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, no one else seems to agree. No one else seems to see how much model potential I have over the other girls. Nobody knows, except me.

And, apparently, Hikaru.

One day, at the intensive training camp, we all took a bath together. Well, that happened often, but I'm only talking about one specific day. After the bath, the long haired beauties, sans Izumi, stayed back to take extra care of our long locks. Of course, a day involving hair discussion doesn't end without Seira bashing me on my hair color, calling me unnecessary names like "dye-head" and making snide comments like "Hey Yoko, I think I saw you on a failed advertisement for peroxide!" Whatever. At least the Lord knows that I don't bleach my hair. I blew off everything Seira threw at me as I let Hikaru brush my long, blonde locks, when I hear an interesting comment escape the brunette's mouth. "Shit, bleached or not, I wish I had hair as smooth as yours, Yoko. You need to give me recommendations for when I go blonde." At least she can speak some form of truth.

One Friday night, all of us were planning on going to a club. Well, this happens many Friday nights, but there's one week in particular. I was planning on wearing a dark green mini-dress to the club, but was unsure of what to wear with it in terms of makeup. Now, I can apply makeup like a professional, but matching it with certain outfits is still a bit of a challenge. I wasn't sure I wanted to ask anyone else for help though, as I expected the same answers. Izumi would tell me to do whatever I wanted, and then go back to her own. Koharu would tell me she wouldn't know as she knows little to nothing about makeup. And Seira would probably tell me to piss off. I stared off at the mirror for about ten more minutes when Hikaru popped up behind me with a consultation. "You should do a wash of green on the lid and some crisp eyeliner. The green will really make your gorgeous violet eyes pop!" It was strange – no one ever compliments me on my eyes, they only comment on how fake they look or some other slander like that. I did the look Hikaru said and it looked fabulous. Maybe Hikaru was looking out for me?

There was another club night. I know, we party a lot. The girls in the dorms, Hikaru, Koharu, Mao, and I all got together and tried on different outfits to figure out exactly what we were going to wear to the club. I have tons of outfits for them to help me choose between. The entire time I was trying on clothes, Hikaru kept making comments such as "Oooh, that one's nice!" and "Oh my God, Yoko, that looks _so_ good on you." All typical compliments one should hear as they try on different cute outfits. The one comment she said that stood out the most, however, was "Damn, girl, you have the best body on the team." As true as the statement was, it was touching to hear it come from someone else on the team, let alone Hikaru. I didn't let anyone else see me blush though. No way.

Now, I'm walking home after practice. It's hot, I'm beat, and I wanna go home and take a shower and a nap. Practice is always so grueling, with balls flying at you every day, dirt all over your body, and Seira always on your ass about nothing in particular. I'm not paying attention to anything around me when Hikaru comes up out of nowhere asking me to wait up. I don't intend to slow down; I don't have time to wait for the other girls. However, my steps become shorter and slower when I feel a warm hand inside mine, gentle fingers touching my own. "I'm so jealous of how smooth your skin is, Yoko…" she comments, causing a blush, deeper than the one I had on today, to creep across my cheeks.

I know I'm the prettiest girl on the team. I know damn well I am. Unfortunately, no one else seems to agree. Nobody knows, except me.

And, apparently, Hikaru.

That's all that matters in the long run.


	3. Ryo

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: If you're reading this, chances are you've watched Princess Nine so you know this already, but Ryo sucks. I think writing this has fueled my hatred for her even more, which is bad because she's already the worst anime character in existence. Ugh. This was hard to write because she's a literal individual and this is a boring pair. Not even interesting in friendship aspects, which is what I usually view them as (hence why they're 3rd from the bottom). I don't think it was as good as, say, the Seishiro/Hikaru one, which is impressive since I detest the two together, but I did my best and Lauren's on my ass about getting this soooo, hopefully it's good enough._

_Really, everything was great in theory, execution was not as great as I was expecting. Is it okay to blame a chapter for not being up to par on a stupid character? now it is._

_W/e. SeiHika should be more interesting. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

**I Romanticize Everything**

**Chapter 3: Ryo  
**

You know someone's your best friend when you see them at every emotion. You see them at their highs and lows, when they're happy, angry, and sad. I have seen Hikaru hit every emotion, so by nature, she's my best friend ever.

The only thing that might be odd is that during every extreme, there's a kiss. Can't say I'm used to that with a best friend. Nope.

When I found out Takasugi liked me, Hikaru was the first person I told. She was ecstatic. I'm not sure if she was happy because it was me and the "oh-so-gorgeous Champion Slugger Hiroki Takasugi" or if she gets this way about all of her friends, but she was very excited about the situation nonetheless. I almost couldn't keep up with her, she was bouncing off the walls so much. She happily exclaimed things about declaring a relationship status, things about double dates once she found a nice Kisaragi boy for herself, things about kissing. But once she got to the kissing part, she inquired, realizing there was a chance Takasugi and I hadn't kissed yet. After hearing my confirmation, her happiness died down, so I thought. But out of nowhere, her lips quickly met mine, knocking me off my chair. Before I could thoroughly yell at her, she cheered "Haha, I got her first, Takasugi!" before running off onto the field. I contemplating running after her, but I wasn't entirely sure whether or not I needed the other girls wondering about the blush on my cheeks.

In the early stages of their relationship, Hikaru and Seishiro had a lot of fights. He was always too shy while she was always to forward. I think, in many situations, I would side with Seishiro, but I think he just really needs to adapt to other people's personalities. One day, I was walking through the hallways, getting back to class. I wasn't skipping class or anything, duties just call. I'm about to make the turn to get back to art class when I'm forcibly pushed into the wall. I turn, thinking it's just Kyoka or someone trying to get me to hate Takasugi again when I look into an angry pair of indigo eyes. "Hikaru-" I try to call out, but her hand covers my mouth. "Don't explain anything," she growls, pushing herself up against me. "I wanna find out for myself what he sees in you." She releases my mouth for about two seconds before covering them with her own. I'm too shocked to do anything but stand there as she attacks me with the rough, hungry kiss, as well as her wandering hand. By the time it ends, I'm on the floor, too shocked to say or do anything. I took ten minutes to breathe again before heading back to class, all to know how futile the effort was. Ms Kanza glared, curtly asking me how "pee time" was before sending me out into the hall to think more on the attack.

I'm working the Oden bar when Hikaru nearly barges through the front door, the storm on her eyes mimicking the storm outside. I don't need to ask her what was wrong; I simply remove my apron, apologize to my mom, and take Hikaru up to my room. I give her a blanket for her to warm up, but it shakily falls off her shoulders as sobs rack through her body. I guess it wasn't a good breakup. I pull her close, allowing her tears to dampen my sweater, holding her tight as a best friend should. Seeing Hikaru this upset hurt. Usually, she's the one consoling me when things aren't going well. Usually, she's the one kissing me to make things better. When I feel like she's calm enough, I slowly push my lips to her forehead. Our eyes meet once again, hers slightly puffier than normal, and our mouths reunite. By the time Hikaru falls asleep, I'm satisfied, mostly because she's happier, but partially because I initiated it this time.

You know someone's your best friend when you see them at every emotion. You see them at their highs and lows, when they're happy, sad, angry, scared. Hikaru Yoshimoto is my best friend and I have seen her at every phase.

But are we actually just best friends?


	4. Seira

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: Yeah, i didn't get bored today or anything._

_This is the last of the Hika pairs I don't ship. I see Seira and Hikaru as friends, but that's essentially it. I said the HikaRyo chapter was my worst, but I think in terms of actual writing and substance, this may be my weakest. Part of it is probably due to me not trying Okonomiyaki yet. But let's face it, look that shit up, it looks so good omg.  
_

_However, Seira's personality is an interesting and hard one to tackle, and I felt like I did a good, humorous job on her character, so I do enjoy this chapter. And considering how everyone else likes Seira/Hikaru, I'm sure it'll be fine to have a less than romantic chapter on them. If anything I hope it brings about a few laughs to make up for the lack of actual romance. =)_

_Either way, the next three will be much more superior but enjoy this anyway!  
_

**

* * *

**

**I Romanticize Everything**

**4. Seira**

There are many factors in why I'm angry all the time. My parents are heartless assholes, many people at Kisaragi are pretentious bitches, Yoko is Yoko, and the coach is an incompetent drunk. Let's face it; if you were in my shoes, you would be angry all the time too. The only problem is, not even cute, bubbly-ass Hikaru can cheer me up.

When I was first brought into the team, I was an amateur. Not the Izumi kind of amateur, definitely not the Yoko kind of amateur, but I won't tell you I knew how to bat properly or catch properly on the first day. Asking me to hit one of Ryo's fastballs past the outfield was basically like asking me to kiss a boy. It wasn't gonna happen. By the time Koharu joined the team, I was getting mad at the fact that I was the only person on the team that can't hit a damn ball far. Then, out of nowhere, comes Hikaru, telling me to try bunting the ball every so often. I didn't believe her at first – bunting sounds like a cheap way out of the batter's box. But after a few more fly balls, I finally gave in, and the ball actually went somewhere. It wasn't a fabulous hit, the new girl showed me up not too long afterward, but Hikaru lightened up my mood by teaching me something. I bunt like a beast.

My signature hairstyle is simple – long and wavy with a large side bang covering my right eye. No one else on the team or in Kisaragi for that matter has the same hair as me, which is good. That being said, I hate my hair. It looks nice all the time, but that stupid side bang is always in my eye. All the time. It's like it's not long enough to not be poking me in the eye all the time. The team doesn't live a day without hearing me piss and moan about how my hair's in my eye. They never say anything, I guess under the assumption that my complaining is never on the same level of annoying as hell that Yoko's is. One day, though, I flipped the bitch switch too far and I guess Hikaru got mad. She walked over to me, whipped out a hairclip, and pinned the side bang out of my face. "There! Everything's better now!" She gleefully exclaimed before skipping back to Koharu and Ryo. I looked in the mirror to see two eyes for what felt like the first time. It looked weird as hell, but at least it wasn't poking me in the damn eye anymore. That made me happy.

Now, I'm waiting for Hikaru, soaked to the bone in the tsunami thing that's outside. I don't know why I don't live in the dorms to be honest. My parents wouldn't care. I'm only here because of them anyway. I'm about to call her ass down, but she's here now with an umbrella. Well, guess I'm not staying over just yet. Ass. We go to some Okonomiyaki restaurant where they serve these giant ass pancakes with all kinds of toppings and sauce. I can see why Hikaru digs this stuff – it's pretty amazing. We're laughing and having a good time, something I don't usually do when I'm with my fighting parents, when Hikaru brings them up. "Dude, fuck your parents. Just appreciate the good things in life, like food and the team and whatnot. You know, like tonight." She smiles, lighting up the dark restaurant. Next thing I know, I'm smiling too.

There are many factors in why I'm angry all the time. My parents are heartless assholes, many people at Kisaragi are pretentious bitches, Yoko is Yoko, and the coach is an incompetent drunk. Let's face it; if you were in my shoes, you would be angry all the time too.

Luckily, Hikaru's always there to cheer me up. Truth be told, it is nice to be happy once in a while.


	5. Yuki

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: Yayyy good pairing this time!_

_I pretty much wrote this in a day, but mapped it out over the course of the week. Unlike the past chapters, this one is hella long. the first four chapters could be put in one page - this one is about three. W/e, it's a good pair. I like them._

_Yuki was a lot harder to write than I expected. I figured I could get away with writing like I usually do, all deep and shit, and instead, she just sounded depressed and weird. Oh, Yuki._

_Two chapters left! Hope you enjoy!  
_

**

* * *

**

**I Romanticize Everything**

**5. Yuki**

"You're a strange girl, Yuki," she said to me in the Chairman's office, the day we first met. I had been quiet and reserved the entire day; it was part of my nature. Apparently, Hikaru was not used to such behavior. She struck me as someone who was overly excited about things, overly social towards everyone. With all due respect, those were the girls with whom I never got along. Hikaru was the girl who lived the life of a party. I was always the girl who stayed in my own corner all the time with a doll.

My eyes were off into nothingness when I felt her hand on mine. "I like you though," she concluded, leaning her head against my shoulder in a friendly way, a way with which I was unfamiliar.

I didn't jump at this. At the same time, I didn't respond either. We did not know each other enough for me to conclude that I like her.

* * *

Hikaru was the first to inquire about Fifi. When she realized I spent most of my days talking to the doll, Hikaru was the first to oppose Fifi. I took Fifi everywhere – out to the field, in every class, to bed, everywhere. Hikaru observed and Hikaru disapproved. I never did anything, of course. Fifi was my best friend for much longer than I even knew Hikaru. Why would I ever need to replace Fifi or dispose of Fifi for Hikaru's sake? It was not as if Hikaru would be willing to stand in Fifi's place.

One night, the team held a slumber party in the club house. I was in bed before everyone else, cuddling Fifi to my breast. I could feel every eye of the team around me, but I did nothing. Upon falling asleep, I heard Hikaru's jealous voice say, "You know your life sucks when you get jealous of a fucking doll."

I don't know if she ever realized I was still awake to hear it, nor do I think she ever knew how guilty I felt about holding Fifi in higher regards than her.

* * *

When I lost Fifi, my life disappeared in a downward spiral. Fifi was my best friend, my everything. As much as I dedicated myself to the team's betterment, I could never replace Fifi with any of them. Not even Izumi. Not even Ryo.

The night that had happened, I couldn't sleep. Every dream I had been of Fifi leaving me, of me being alone. By three o'clock in the morning, I was out on the balcony, moping about my dark and gloomy future. Within five minutes, I was no longer alone.

"Can't sleep?" Hikaru asked, sitting beside me. I did nothing but bury my head in my arms, trying to refrain from sobbing in front of her. She scooted closer to me, draping her arm around my shoulder. "You do realize you're not alone, right?" she asked, a sad tone in her voice. "I can be your best friend too." She pulled me into a tight hug, one to which I still do not respond.

"You're one of my best friends here," she continues. "Always will be."

Hikaru did not help me get over losing Fifi, but at least she drove away the nightmares for the night.

* * *

The day the rain cancelled the big Kisaragi game, Hikaru stopped by my house to hang out. I wasn't used to this – no one ever hung out with me before I joined the team. No one was willing to waste their time with someone like me. We sat on my bed, watching a movie adaption of the novel, A Tale of False Fortunes, nearly falling asleep as the sun set through the small window in my room. She was positioned behind me, her legs and arms on either side of me, her head propped in the crook of my neck. Despite her being smaller than me, this position felt strangely comfortable.

"Question for ya, Yuki," she started, interrupting the movie before us. I nodded in response, not needing to voice anything. "If I told you I hid Fifi from you, would this ever stop?"

Time froze for a second. My mind went blank. "…what?"

"Hypothetically," Hikaru explained, motioning things with her hands in the process, "if I yanked Fifi off of your belt, threw it in the air, used my left-handed swing on it, sending it flying into God knows where, and just told you about it now that Fifi's actually gone, would I still be allowed to come over, hang out, and cuddle and shit?"

Time was still frozen. Hikaru was putting my mind through a hypothetical situation, confusing me beyond belief. Would Hikaru actually put me through all of that pain and stress just to hang out with me? Would she actually invade my personal space in one way for the sole purpose of invading my personal space in another way? At the same time, did I ever want this to end? I strangely enjoyed the attention and friendship Hikaru gave me as often as she did.

I eventually told her no, which she accepted. She leaned her head closer to me, deep breaths tickling my neck. We stayed silent for a long time, just letting the poor video roll before us as the sun set in the distance.  
"You realize I was just fucking with you, right?" Hikaru asked, pulling away to make eye contact with me. "I didn't steal Fifi. I just wanted to know." With that, she went back to leaning against me. I let her hold me close, slowly becoming happier with the decision to get over Fifi.

* * *

The day of the game found us next to a bridge. My body shook in Hikaru's arms as the rain poured down on us. For the first time since meeting Fifi, I had attempted suicide. The end of the Kisaragi game took a large toll on my emotions, putting me in a state of depression that no one could pick up.

The last thing I expected was for Hikaru Yoshimoto to pull me off the rail of the bridge.

"It's my fault!" I screamed in her direction. "It's my fault we lost the game! It's my fault Takasugi caught that line drive! It's my fault I couldn't catch that home run! Everything is all my fault!"

Hands made their way to my shoulders, shaking me forcibly. "Stop saying such stupid things! Nothing is your fault, Yuki!"

"No!" I retort, tears streaming down my face, mingling with the raindrops. "Don't play dumb with me, Hikaru! You know you secretly blame me for everything! Pretty soon, you'll all abandon me for this!"

She slowly withdrew her hands, her anger fading from her face. "Wait…what?"

"This is middle school all over again. Pretty soon, because of this game, you'll cut me out of your life for-"

The knife that cut off my words took form of a kiss I found completely unexpected. Hikaru's arms pulled me into her tightest embrace as her lips crashed harshly onto my own. Time froze once again – everything felt right for the first time in too long.

When we parted, Hikaru's eyes turned warm. "I'll never cut you out of my life, Yuki. I'll never leave you."

Upon hearing her words, I sank into Hikaru's arms and sobbed. It hit me how grateful I was for everything Hikaru had done. She had saved me from loneliness, depression, death, everything. I had never experienced any such effort put into being close to me before Hikaru. Upon realizing she would never leave me, I realized how much I wanted to step away from the bridge and walk home.

"I'll never leave you," she repeated, locking eyes with me. Within seconds, our lips found their way to each other once again, clearing the skies in my dark, clouded mind.

* * *

"You're a strange girl, Yuki," she says to me now as we sit on the bleachers, overlooking the baseball field of Kisaragi Girl's High. I had been quiet and reserved the entire season; it was part of my nature. Throughout the season, however, I had opened up to someone to whom I never imagined I'd be as close. Hikaru helped me open up, to not stay in my own corner all the time with a doll. I still remain far from the life of a party, but nothing stops me from wanting the life of a party.

My eyes gaze into nothingness when I feel her hand on mine. "I like you though," she concludes, leaning her head against my shoulder in a more-than-friendly way, a way with which I grew to be familiar.

I don't jump at this. Instead, I rest my head on hers and respond. "I like you too."


	6. Koharu

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: I shouldn't be writing this. I should be doing school work or whatever. But Lauren is sick! So I wanted to do something that will at least cheer her up._

_Yeah, no excuses. I'm bad at keeping a schedule. Winter break is upon us though, so hopefully, this can be finished and Just Pretend can be worked on._

_So, HaruKaru. I kinda prefer them as best friends but I can dig them hooking up every so often. Sorry they're not as demanding as Lauren and I are, Mark, but I added some of that in. ;) Either way, this chapter is more playful, less serious than the last. I don't see HaruKaru being that serious of a couple ngl.  
_

_One more chapter to go! Enjoy!  
_

* * *

I know I'm not the smartest fish in this sea of prestigious know-it-alls that make up Kisaragi Girls' high, but there are a few things I know for sure. Tides are all aligned with the moon, it's five o'clock somewhere, and my room is the best room in the entire dorm hall.

I mean, I guess it's not too much different. I don't have a roommate, for one, so the space is a little tighter than, say, Yoko or Mao's rooms. Sure, I've rearranged everything so my room looks as big as an ocean, but it's still small. Other than that, I just have a nice little view of the Tokyo skyline, a couple of bean bag chairs, a TV, a Nintendo, my own fridge and freezer unit, and a big-ass poster of Koshien on my wall. No big deal, right? Why have any of my frivolous items when you can have none of the luxuries, a boring view of the trees in the way of the school's campus, and an overly bitchy roommate that rearranges the room all the time?

Introducing the team to my room was arguably irritating. In one section of my mind, I wanted Yoko, Mao, and Hikaru to know they have somewhere to go to escape the clutches of their evil rooms. In all actuality, however, I wasn't really feeling the idea of sharing the luxury of my room with others, especially once the gasps and squeals of the others hit my ears. Their jealousy overcame the room, almost influencing me to not care as much about my room as I should. Oh, the things I do for my friends.

"Just a heads up, fish girl," Hikaru started, draping her arm around my shoulders, "I'm coming over more often. Your room is a godsend compared to my hellhole."

At that point, it was time to get used to sharing.

* * *

A knock at my door took my attention away from rolling sushi. It was dinner time. I had been slavin' away at homework all day due to a rain check on practice. All I wanted was a bowl of miso soup and some sushi. What I didn't want was someone knockin' at my door when I was tryin' to enjoy dinner. Nevertheless, I walked over to answer it.

Hikaru stood in front of my door with a few take home boxes of god knows what. "Sup, guplet? Mind if I come in?" I didn't respond. Whenever Hikaru asks if she can come in, she means "I'm coming in no matter what." Naturally, she walked in, setting the boxes of okonomiyaki on the ground.

"Hope you don't mind that I hang here for a bit, Ko. I'm starving, sexiled, and lonely, so I figured we could have a HaruKaru party tonight and just share dinner!" she exclaimed with a smile.

A HaruKaru party is an exclusive hang out period between Hikaru and me. Basically, a private moment between the two of us where we just sit around and bullshit. Although it meant my room was gonna smell like pancake for god knows how long, I accepted her offer. I never had much of a choice in these matters, and I guess it's always good to hang out with my best friend. We sat on the ground, enjoying dinner together, talking about boys and stuff. She asked for some soup, I asked for some okonomiyaki.

"I also got the seafood one just for you, fish girl," Hikaru told me. "I figured you'd appreciate it better since you're a pescatarian or whatever it's called."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Who in the hell told you that?" I asked in slight disbelief. A few seconds later, it all hit me. Damn, Hikaru and her sexual innuendos. I stifled a laugh. "Come on, Hikaru. Leave the lesbian jokes for Seira. Anyone who knows me knows I love my meat."

Hikaru reached for the box and pulled it away. "Damn, I really shouldn't get my hopes up like that."

I looked back up at her with more confusion. "Huh?"

"What?"

We stayed silent for a bit before Hikaru's left eye closed into a wink. The room erupted in giggles as I grabbed a slice of the seafood okonomiyaki. HaruKaru parties are fun.

* * *

Another HaruKaru party was held two days later. Hikaru had broken up with Seishiro and needed someone to talk to. It was a mutual decision, but somehow, Hikaru felt a lot of bitterness and irrationality toward the boy. Every girl who's scathed through a relationship knows that break ups are a bitch, so I was first to comfort her.

"Is it wrong to call Ryo a traitor because she's probably helping him through this?" Hikaru asked, bitterly, scarfing down ice cream by the tub.

"You're not really gonna hate him forever, are you?" I asked.

Hikaru shook her head. "Probably not, but I should. He's not a relationship guy at all. He's way too scared of the world and dating. He's also too smart for his own good. It's not my fault religion isn't my strong point! You don't have to tell me I'm gonna fail it next semester!"

I watched her tackle the entire tub of ice cream, then slowly move onto the box of strawberry mochi that was next to me. Seishiro was a great guy and all, and Hikaru won't hold this against him for the rest of his life. But at the same time, everything Hikaru said made sense, and I wasn't afraid to be the one at her side, agreeing with everything she said, comforting her because she needed it. On top of that, telling your girlfriend you're gonna fail a class the following semester's kind of a dick move.

"Whatever," she started again, popping a mochi in her mouth. "I've seen those videos of you on Tosa High's team. You make a hotter boy than he does."

A blush crept across my face faster than Seira can run around the bases. Nevertheless, I giggled, causing her to smile a bit. It was good to see Hikaru smile. HaruKaru parties help that.

* * *

A knock at my door had me setting my book down. Hikaru was there again, sexiled from her room. I shook my head as I let her in.

"Seriously, what do guys see in Kyoka? I just don't get it." I stated, closing the door behind me.

Hikaru laughed. "They don't see anything in her. It's Tomoko that's over all the time."

I grimaced. "So what does Tomoko see in her? She's such a cute girl, I just don't get it."

"Don't ask me. Is Yoko still coming over tonight?"

"Shit, I hope not. I'm scared to tell her straight out but I don't care about how she looks in a bikini. Or whatever else she wants to put in that portfolio."

Hikaru hopped on the bed. "Let's pull a Kyoka and sexile Yoko from bothering you."

I gave Hikaru a strange look. "Are you implying you wanna pick up guys and do that? 'Cause that's gonna take a while."

"Who needs guys?" She asked, her eyes hooded for some odd reason. "There are two of us here, it'll scare her off no matter what."

"Do we really need all those rumors spread around-"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Koharu!" She pulled me onto the bed. "Just get over here and let's do it!"

"Well, don't leave the doorknob bare then!" I yelled back. "You know the rules about couples in dorms!"

"So demanding, geez!" She jumped off the bed, removed her necktie, and tied it around the doorknob before locking the door behind her. By the time she got back to the bed, I was on my back.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to-" I was cut off again by Hikaru's mouth on mine as she pounced back onto my bed.

The kiss was rough and wet, kinda what I expected from Hikaru. Of course, knowing us, I wasn't planning on backing down, whether I thought it was a good idea or not. With all the strength in my little arms, I pushed myself up, flipping the two of us over so I was on top. I wrapped my arms around her neck, crashing my mouth down, battling her tongue with my own. Her arms were around my waist, pulling me down onto her, as her knee made it's way between my legs. Nothing was quiet about our encounter, our motions, our "party." It was kinda shocking that we didn't get a noise complaint or anything.

Muffled against the sounds of Hikaru's moaning, I could hear Yoko complaining about the situation from outside my door. Instead of pushing Hikaru away and tending to the friend in need, I simply kissed back, tending to a different friend in need. Yoko eventually left, causing Hikaru to smile.

We broke the kiss as she commented, "Game well played. Now you don't have to deal with anyone else but me."

I smiled back. "I can dig that." With that, we went back to kissing. We figured this could be a typical HaruKaru party game from now on.

* * *

I know I'm not the smartest fish in this sea of prestigious know-it-alls that make up Kisaragi Girls' high, but there are a few things I know for sure. Tides are all aligned with the moon, it's five o'clock somewhere, and my room is the best room in the entire dorm hall.

To many, it seems like a treasure. Everything I could've asked for in a dorm room. In a way, it's kinda more of a curse. I can't get a night alone. Every baseball girl wants to live in my room. As nice as I am about it, it gets annoying, having to share the luxury of my room.

I'm sitting in the dark, playing Pokemon Puzzle from my bed. Hikaru's sleeping next to me, her head in my lap. In a way, I'm happy I got used to sharing. My dorm room isn't that great without HaruKaru parties happening.


	7. Ishimaru

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Nine.**

_A/N: Aaaaaaand it's DONE!_

_This really shouldn't have taken this long to do, but sophomore year was filled with a lot of dumb stuff, so I can't help it. So, to make things fun and annoying, I decided to post the final chapter to IRE on Lauren's Birthday. A year after the first chapter was posted. :) Happy Birthday, Lauren! :DDDDD  
_

_This is the longest chapter so far. I've been writing it all night. By the time I upload this, it may be 4:15 AM on the 3rd? Not sure. But yeah. All night working on this. It was hard, mainly because the relationship is between Hikaru and a character known for two episodes. But I kindof threw together a believable (by Ishi's standpoint I guess) character for Ishimaru. I think. I hope._

_Lauren and I have been saying for the longest time that Hikaru and Ishimaru (the Rinkai High pitcher) would make a good couple, so they're the last ones. I think they'd be more believable and they'd last longer than Seishiro/Hikaru, personally. They have a fun dynamic in this chapter. Or at least it was fun to write. And pretty accurate if you think about it._

_Also, so I can give credit to all, the theme of this chapter in particular, as well as the title, is inspired by the song Himerus and Eros by the Spill Canvas. Check it out, it's a fun song._

_Alright! Enjoy the last chapter, everyone!  
_

* * *

**I Romanticize Everything**

**7. Ishimaru**

It's a Sunday, and we're at the beach. Funnel cakes and pizza are in our laps, as we watch the waves, ice cream in hand. No words are exchanged between us. We only sit there, enjoying the company of each other.

"You realize," she speaks, swirling her tongue around the top of her ice cream, "I can get more girls than you can." She flashes me a wink and a smile, tying my stomach up in knots.

I stifle a laugh, shoving the pizza slice in my mouth. "I doubt it. You're kind of a chick yourself."

"Psh. Like that matters," Hikaru brushes off. "Remember, I'm the one who goes to an all-girls school. I get more than you do in a day."

"You don't _get_ more though," I retort. "You're a cute girl and everything, Yoshimoto, but I can't imagine how someone as brash as you could get more girls than a smashing boy like I can."

Hikaru breaks apart her funnel cake, devouring a large piece of fried dough. Powdered sugar coats her pink lips as she speaks. "Well for one, I'm not a silly, arrogant boy. Chicks dig my confidence." She goes back to the ice cream, the swirled dessert melting into the sugar on her lips. "Besides," she speaks again after inhaling about half of her ice cream, "I haven't seen you with any ladies. For a fine looking guy, you're sure doing a bad job at being a chick magnet."

"I dunno. It sure looked like I did a good job getting you and Morimura all to myself at that game a while back." It's my turn to attack my ice cream. I spoon a large amount into my mouth with my tongue, enjoying my victory against the Kisaragi switch hitter.

"From what I recall, _we_ were the ones who had _you_ wrapped around our fingers during that game."

Instant brain freeze.

I'm too busy tending to my throbbing head to notice Hikaru pack up her food to head home. She giggles as she rises from the bench. "Nice hangin' with ya, Ishi! I gotta get back to the dorm and chill with my ladies."

I growl in disappointment. "I'll get back at you for everything that happened at that game one day, Yoshimoto. Count on it."

"Mhm," she hums as she saunters past me. "And one day, I'll make out with you."

I look up in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"You dropped your pizza."

My eyes shift downward and she's right again. My pizza is on the ground, mingling with the sand. I freak out momentarily when the other plate slides off my lap.

"And your funnel cake," she adds. I can't catch a break.

I swear under my breath, causing Hikaru to giggle. Another growl comes from my throat before I yell at her, "I hate you!"

Still giggling, she responds "I hate you more!" as she saunters on home, leaving me alone on the beach.

* * *

I won't deny it. I'm pretty happy Hikaru broke up with Seishiro Natsume.

They weren't the right fit. She was too forward, he was too passive. She doesn't need a boy she can walk all over. She needs someone on her equal playing ground. Someone who can sass her back the 100% of the time that she's sassing someone. She needs a competitor rather than a play toy.

Yeah, I know. I kind of fit that brief.

A week after their break up, I find her at an arcade, playing air hockey with herself. I make my way to the other side of the table, stopping her puck from making it into my goal. Shocked and surprised, she looks up.

"Good work on letting that last fish go, Yoshimoto," I tell her, smiling.

She shrugs, batting the puck back toward me. "Had to do it. Ship was sinking me, so I had to sink the ship."

I block the puck again. "I know how that is. You'll be fine though. Just gotta find your type and then you don't have to worry."

She giggles. "Trust me, Ishimaru; I've looked long and hard for that." She scores the puck into my goal and the game is over. She begins to walk away until something crosses her mind. "It's a shame though," she starts. "I'm happy we broke up, but now I have no one to take to the movies tomorrow night."

This is my chance. I slide over to her, leaning against the air hockey table. "Well, I may be able to sway the coach and the guys to let me ditch practice early. Granted, I _am_ team captain so it should be no big deal…"

"Hm…" she ponders for a bit. "I guess I do have someone I'd like to take with me. Then, we can fool around at my place afterwards or some shit."

Play around? Sounds fun. I perk up and respond, "Well, I don't have a definite yes or no from the guys, but what time should I pick you up from your place tomorrow night?"

By the end of my sentence, I notice her expression – some form of combination between confused, amused, and thinking I'm flat out stupid. She giggles. "What are you talking about picking me up for, Ishi? I was talking about going with Koharu."

I'm dumfounded. "Koharu as in the short chick from your team?"

She nods. "Yeah, we can go catch the movie and go back to my place and play the Sailor V game." She shoots me the same expression again. "Why? Did you wanna go?"

My words are lost as she walks away, laughing again. Eventually, I shake my head in defeat. "I hate you!" I tell her.

She's almost out the door when she responds. "I hate you more!"

* * *

It's the bottom half of the fifth inning of a random practice game with Kisaragi Girls. Currently, it's a scoreless game, something I as a Rinkai High player am not used to. It's not a big deal; it's just a practice game. However, with a past like the one we have with Kisaragi Girls, where we haven't entirely played a fair game yet, there's always something to bug you about a scoreless game.

Bases are loaded. Rinkai is pitching. Hikaru Yoshimoto is at bat. Brilliant. Granted, despite how much I like Hikaru, I was never planning on walking her or giving her any slack. I throw a standard curve ball, nothing to fancy, but I know I did it wrong anyway. It was clearly a low, inside ball. Or so it should have been.

I'm about to stand upright again when I hear a painful scream. Hikaru's on the ground clutching her hip at this point. Shit. The umpire calls a dead ball, but I'm too upset to care. While Hotta starts walking to bat, I dash over to Hikaru.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Hikaru! Are you alright?" I grab her hand, nearly pulling her into my arms. I didn't want to be too overdramatic, but I wanted to hold her. Dead balls hurt like a bitch, so to have it hit her hip must've been brutal. I continuously tell her how sorry I am, ask her how she's doing. In a matter of seconds, she looks up at me, her violet eyes piercing through me.

"Dude," she starts, a smile slowly coming out from the corners of her mouth. "Relax. It's just baseball. You're showing your emotions way too much for a game. Especially one where you just lost the lead."

My mind is blank. I'm completely confused on what she's talking about until I watch Daidoji touch home base. Of course, a dead ball when the bases are loaded means a runner gets forced home. So now, we're 0-1, Kisaragi's lead.

I walk back to the mound when I can hear whispers between Hotta and Hikaru. Something along the lines of "Nice play" and "Yeah, I was hoping it'd work." I was mainly only confused about how they were able to whisper to each other from yards away and still hear each other, but then everything clicked.

I replayed the event in my head. The ball wasn't supposed to be a dead ball. Hikaru just hip bumped it to force a runner home. On top of that, she made it look like I screwed up the possible eventual lead for my team. And to make it even worse, she made me show my heart on my sleeve. Shit, my heart was shown on my entire jersey.

I'm in disbelief until I look at Hikaru. She looks back at me, shoots me an eyebrow bounce and a wink, and I know the whole thing was intentional. Ignoring Hotta at the batter's box, I turn to first base and yell at her. "I hate you!"

As I turn back to wind up to face Hotta, Hikaru shouts back, "I hate you more!"

* * *

It's night and we're in my dorm room. Hikaru's school tie is on the door, signaling my roommate to find somewhere new to sleep for the night. Dorm life has never felt this nice before.

We're making out on my bed. Our clothes are sprawled out on the floor, the sheets bunched up at the foot of the bed. Our mouths are all over each others, tongues battling for dominance as our hands roam all over each other. She spends most of the time on top of me, which I let. Her skin glows in the small amount of light filtering in my room. It doesn't help that my hands can basically glide all over her skin, it's so smooth.

Soon the only things on my bed are Hikaru and I, tied together by one of her scarves. We continue to rock the bed, tying ourselves together without thinking about it. It's a strange concept – usually when one uses the act of tying, it's usually to the bed or something like that. I kind of like the strange idea, as now I'm stuck with her. She can't escape, I can't escape. To make up for all of our battles, we're finally on the same level. No one can win, no one can lose.

After enough music is made between the two of us, albeit naturally more from her than from me, we lay on the bed in a sleepless slumber. I can't yet fall asleep, and yet I'm so relaxed I can't do anything. Minutes feel like hours, hours like days. Eventually, I look up. The other end of the scarf is tied to my bed. I look for Hikaru, who's sitting, clothed, at the edge of my bed.

I tilt my head in confusion. "Hikaru, what's going on?"

She looks a little sympathetic as she responds, "Sorry, Ishi. I was playing with the scarf in my sleep. I guess I accidentally tied you to the bed."

I nod and pull the scarf. It doesn't budge or unravel. "I guess you're sorry because you tied the knot around the bed too tight, huh?"

She sucks in her teeth. "I guess that too," she replies.

That's when I know things aren't good for me. I look at my wrist. I try my hardest to untie the knot of the scarf. No luck. I try to contort my hand out of the scarf. No luck. Shit. I'm tied to my bed, I have school tomorrow, and everything is exposed. Great. Nothing can get worse than that, right?

"Well," Hikaru starts as she gets up from the bed. "I should head home. Tonight was a lot of fun, Ishi!"

Of course, things get worse.

"Wait, Hikaru! You can't just leave me like this!" I call to her. I'm exhausted, so yelling isn't an option now. Also, it's night time.

Hikaru continues to walk to the door. "Sorry! School tomorrow! I'm sure you can explain this to your roommate though!" She grabs the door handle, and, I swear I can hear a slight giggle.

That's when it hits me – this was all intentional.

I hang my head in shame, and tell her the everyday line. "I hate you."

Before she leaves the dorm, she winks at me. "I hate you more."

* * *

It's another Sunday, and we're at the beach once again. Funnel cakes and pizza are in our laps as we watch the waves, ice cream in hand. No words are exchanged between us. We only sit there, enjoying the company of each other.

"You still realize," she starts again after a few swirls of her tongue into her ice cream, "I can get more girls than you can."

I stifle a laugh, shoving the pizza slice in my mouth. "I doubt it. You're kind of a chick yourself." Wow. Déjà vu, right?

"Psh. Like that matters," Hikaru brushes off. "Remember, I'm the one who goes to an all-girls school. I get more than you do in a day."

"Maybe so," I give in to her arguments, knowing very well I can beat her tonight. I move my pizza and funnel cake off of my lap, transfer my ice cream cone into a cup to set aside, and advanced toward her. "I'll settle for just one tonight."

Hikaru's expression goes from confident to confused in a matter of seconds. Before she can ask about my actions, I catch her lips with my own, pushing her upper body toward the seat of the bench. After slightly flailing for a bit, she holds onto my arm for support, kissing me back.

I break the kiss after a while, smirking as I look down at her. "Looks like I win today," I smugly state.

She cocks an eyebrow. "What are you talkin' about?"

"You dropped your pizza."

She looks down on the ground. I am right – her pizza lies in the sand. She freaks out, swearing relatively loudly, unaware of when the other plate slips off her lap.

"And your funnel cake," I add.

She turns back to me with a pouty glare. "I hate you!" she yells, taking her ice cream cone and smashing the frozen dessert onto the back of my neck.

Chills naturally go through my entire body as her ice cream makes contact with my skin. Regardless, I force a giggle through the pain and reply, "I hate you more."

Hikaru continues to pout as she lowers herself onto the bench, laying flat on her back. I smile. I won today. One out of five, or five million or so if you count the rest of our battles, isn't so bad. I lean forward until our faces are inches apart. Her amethyst eyes lock with mine as I whisper a new everyday line.

"I love you." With that, I capture her lips again. The kiss lasts for a while, both of us continuing our battles through touch as we entangle each other in our arms. I break, resting my head on her shoulder. Muffled by the sound of the ocean, I'm pretty confident she responds:

"I love you more."

I sigh. Our relationship is a never ending battle.


End file.
